Now, another way that Jesus the Christ acknowledged the legitimacy of the Roman form of government was demonstrated by the fact that He used a portion of that form as a model for establishing His own government on Earth, His Church.
Remember, whenever the Romans set up their government in a new territory, they sent a procurator, or governor, to rule the province in the name and authority of the emperor. At the time of Jesus' public ministry, Pontius Pilate was the procurator of Judea. In addition, the Romans borrowed many ideas of government from the Greeks, modified them, and made them their own. One of these was the idea of a "called out" assembly of citizens who met democratically over matters of common concern. This was essentially, the structure of the Roman Senate. The Greek word for this assembly of citizens is "ekklesia" which literally means "called-out ones". Both the word and concept would have been familiar to the people of Jesus' day: the concept, because they saw it in action regularly in everyday government; and the word because of its frequent appearances in the Septuagint; the Greek translation of the Old Testament that was in common use in Jesus' day, where it referred specifically to the children of God.
Now the ekklesia was an arm of government that helped the governor administer the policies of Rome. The job of these citizens was to assist to ensure that the policies and decrees of Rome passed down to them through the governor were enacted and enforced throughout the region of their jurisdiction.
Now in the English language, God's Constitution--the Bible--ekklesia is translated as "church". It was this government (not a religious body!) that Jesus as the model for His own ekklesia of "called out" followers, His government on Earth: When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loose in heaven.”
So then, Christ's body on Earth, is His Church, it isn't a religious body, but a governmental body. Jesus' commission from His Father was to announce and re-establish the kingdom of Heaven on Earth and to open the doorway into it through His death for the sins of humankind, and through His resurrection. Accordingly, He has commissioned His ekklesia to spread the Kingdom influence, culture and government throughout the world or, in the imagery of Chapter one of Genesis, to plant the Kingdom "gardens" all over the Earth to transform the world into the likeness of Heaven.
Matthew 16:13-19
~~W.R. Luchie
Remember, whenever the Romans set up their government in a new territory, they sent a procurator, or governor, to rule the province in the name and authority of the emperor. At the time of Jesus' public ministry, Pontius Pilate was the procurator of Judea. In addition, the Romans borrowed many ideas of government from the Greeks, modified them, and made them their own. One of these was the idea of a "called out" assembly of citizens who met democratically over matters of common concern. This was essentially, the structure of the Roman Senate. The Greek word for this assembly of citizens is "ekklesia" which literally means "called-out ones". Both the word and concept would have been familiar to the people of Jesus' day: the concept, because they saw it in action regularly in everyday government; and the word because of its frequent appearances in the Septuagint; the Greek translation of the Old Testament that was in common use in Jesus' day, where it referred specifically to the children of God.
Now the ekklesia was an arm of government that helped the governor administer the policies of Rome. The job of these citizens was to assist to ensure that the policies and decrees of Rome passed down to them through the governor were enacted and enforced throughout the region of their jurisdiction.
Now in the English language, God's Constitution--the Bible--ekklesia is translated as "church". It was this government (not a religious body!) that Jesus as the model for His own ekklesia of "called out" followers, His government on Earth: When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loose in heaven.”
So then, Christ's body on Earth, is His Church, it isn't a religious body, but a governmental body. Jesus' commission from His Father was to announce and re-establish the kingdom of Heaven on Earth and to open the doorway into it through His death for the sins of humankind, and through His resurrection. Accordingly, He has commissioned His ekklesia to spread the Kingdom influence, culture and government throughout the world or, in the imagery of Chapter one of Genesis, to plant the Kingdom "gardens" all over the Earth to transform the world into the likeness of Heaven.
Matthew 16:13-19
~~W.R. Luchie
